


snow for us

by talktothesky



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M, Minor Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, Prompt Fic, Snowball Fight, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 00:41:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9048439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talktothesky/pseuds/talktothesky
Summary: “i was having a snowball fight outside and you were casually walking by and oh my god i’m so sorry i accidentally nailed you in the face” auA snowball to the face is not the best first impression, especially when the guy you hit is as gorgeous as this man. Steve has it bad already.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Happy holidays, everyone! I hope you're all having a great winter break and if you celebrate any of the holidays then I hope they're going amazingly. Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! 
> 
> I'm posting this on Christmas because it's Santa time! This is a gift for [wintersrgeant](https://wintersrgeant.tumblr.com) over at Tumblr. Now you know who your Secret Santa is! I hope you enjoy this fic. It's fluffy and sweet and I hope it makes you smile :) I'm sending you all my love <3
> 
> English is not my first language and this work is unbeta'd so forgive me for any mistakes.
> 
> Title from the quote “With luck, it might even snow for us." by Haruki Murakami.

It was cold outside. Really, really cold. The kind of cold you could feel in your bones, the cold that set home in your joints and your crevices and only a scalding shower could get rid of. Snow was falling outside Steve’s little apartment, covering every Brooklyn street and making everything, even the horizon, look white.

Steve loved the cold. He loved the beauty of it, its magical silence and its casual embrace. But he also hated the cold. It reminded him of stillness, of quiet loneliness and loss. All of these contradicting feelings were filling Steve’s insides as he stood in front of his window looking down at the street where children were playing and people were walking by on their way to live their day-to-day lives. 

Steve took another sip of his hot chocolate and enjoyed the rich taste of the drink. The mug was pleasantly warm in his hands, emitting a strong and sweet aroma. Steve drank and drank until the mug was empty. He was making his way to the kitchen to fill his mug again when his apartment door opened and Bucky walked in. 

“Steve, man! C’mon!” 

Bucky walked into the apartment getting closer to Steve but he left the door open. Steve could see Natasha and Sam talking in the hallway outside and he mentally sighed knowing that whatever these three had planned would somehow involve him. He cursed himself for being so weak and never knowing how to say no to his best friends. 

“What is the rush?” he asked, and left the mug in the kitchen sink to clean it up later. 

“You need to get dressed, Stevie. Look at all the snow outside!” Bucky signaled vaguely with his hand towards the window.

“Yeah, Buck, kinda hard to miss all that snow.” Steve started making his way to his room and, without having to look, he knew Bucky would be following close behind.

“Okay, smart ass, whatever.” Bucky sat on Steve’s bed while Steve rummaged through his closet for some jeans and a thick, wool sweater. “We’re having a snow war!”

“Snow war?” repeated Steve.

“Yeah!” Bucky’s voice sounded excited, almost childlike. Steve smiled as he put on the sweater and grabbed his black gloves from the bed side table. “You and I, Stevie, we’re gonna kick Natasha’s and Wilson’s asses.”

“Don’t let Natasha hear you say that or she’s gonna be even more vicious with her throws.”

Bucky shuddered, “Oh, god, you’re right.”

They both laughed and Bucky stood from the bed, clapping his hands loudly. 

“You ready or what?”

Steve stood in front of the mirror and adjusted his black hat over his blond hair. He nodded to himself when he was pleased with his appearance and, despite his initial reluctance, he started to grow excited at the idea of a fun, mindless game with his over-competitive friends. 

“Let’s go win this war, Buck.”

Bucky smirked and together they walked out of Steve’s apartment to join Natasha and Sam.

 

* * *

 

“They’re kicking our asses.” Steve said matter-of-factly from his placed crouched behind a car, where he and Bucky were hiding and catching their breath from the snowball fight that had been going on for the last 15 minutes.

“No, they’re not.” disagreed Bucky, still out of breath.

“Yes, we are!” Sam shouted from above them. He released a snowball that landed right on top of Bucky’s head and cackled manically. He ran before the other two men even had time to react and by the time Bucky retaliated with a thrown of his own Sam was far enough from them that the ball barely even grazed him.

“Damn Wilson.” cursed Bucky as he hid behind the parked car again, his hair a wet, dripping mess. Steve was trying hard not to laugh at the picture his best friend painted. 

“We need a better strategy.” proposed Steve. “We’ll never have a shot if we just run towards them blindly: Natasha is too quick and slippery and Sam pushes your buttons so hard that you just charge at him indiscriminately.”

Bucky once again repeated “Damn Wilson” under his breath making Steve shake his head at him.

“Okay, strategy.” Bucky agreed. He pointed at Steve with his index finger. “You’re better at it so… What’s the plan, Captain?”

Steve rolled his eyes at the ridiculous nickname but started to think about it. He looked around the streets that surrounded them, trying to memorize the best hiding places, vantage points and escape routes. For a quick moment his mind wandered to what his life could have been like if he had really decided to join the military like he had planned to do when he was a teenager instead of finally deciding on art school. It was only a fleeting thought, though, gone as quickly as it had appeared, and Steve focused back on the task. 

It only took Steve about 5 minutes to come up with a plan and explain it to Bucky. It was simple and to the point, almost effortless. 

The street was loud and buzzing from all the people going by them even though not many cars had ventured to move in the snowstorm. Natasha and Sam were nowhere in sight but Steve’s plan would serve to remedy that. 

Bucky was the first to move and leave their hiding place. He proceeded carefully, his eyes alert, looking for a sign of either of his enemies. He walked the street in what to an outsider would look like an aimless pattern but Steve knew better. He was a distraction. 

As Steve had planned, Sam’s head popped from behind another parked car and his friend was closely following Bucky’s movements, most likely waiting for him to be close enough to attack. 

Bucky discreetly looked towards Steve and Steve nodded at him and signaled Sam’s position. Bucky then turned his back towards it, and continued moving forwards slowly. Sam seemed to make a decision (the one Steve had expected him to make) and left his hiding place to pursue Bucky. 

Sam was making such a rookie mistake, Steve thought. He was not paying attention to any of his surroundings and his sole focus was on Bucky. Steve had known that he’d be able to use Sam and Bucky’s weird rivalry to their advantage. 

In a very quick maneuver Steve stood up from his crouched position and aimed his big and compact snowball towards Sam.

Natasha’s cry of “Sam!” was not enough to prevent it and the snowball hit Sam straight in the face. Bucky had been quick enough turning around and caught the action on its entirety. His laugh was the loudest sound in the entire street, going on and on, making it difficult for him to catch a breath. 

From his position, Steve could see Natasha trying to contain her own laughter, her eyes trained on Sam who was still gaping at the hit, prompting even more loud laughter from Bucky. 

Steve quickly kneeled and took another one of his already prepared snowballs in his hands. He stood up and saw Natasha making her way to Sam. She was still far enough from Sam to be a good lone target so Steve rapidly aimed and threw his snowball at her. 

It was as if Steve was watching it happen in slow motion. 

The snowball made its way closer and closer to Natasha, bypassing Sam closely. In the last second, just as the ball was going to hit Natasha, she abruptly ducked making it look natural and uncomplicated, and the ball continued its straight pathway. Only a second had gone by when a resounding _thud_ was heard. Steve’s eyes opened dramatically and he could hear Bucky whispering “Oh fuck”.

The snowball had hit a man straight in the face. 

Steve was mortified. He could feel himself flushing and, even though he knew it was impossible, it was as if the whole street had gone silent at the impact. 

The man brought his gloved hands up to his face and wiped his eyes off, trying to get rid of the snow that was still clinging to his eyebrows and goatee. Steve had thought he couldn’t be more embarrassed but he was proven wrong when he finally took in the man he had hit. He was _gorgeous_. 

Suddenly, a laugh brought Steve out of his appreciation of the man. He reluctantly removed his eyes from the incredibly beautiful man and realized that he had not been alone. Steve was perplexed when he recognized Clint next to the man.

“Oh my god,” Clint tried to say through his laughter. “oh my god, man. That was incredible!”

The man turned to face Clint, his face wet but his glare terrifying. “Thanks, Barton. Your help is deeply appreciated.”

God, even his voice was beautiful. Steve wished the Earth would swallow him down. Now. Please. 

“I… I’m really sorry.” Steve’s voice was shaky and low. He truly didn’t know what to say but he did know he needed to apologize and make sure the man knew it had been an accident. “Really, I am. Sorry. Very sorry. I’m very sorry.”

All eyes turned to him and Bucky mouthed, “Are you okay?” at him so only he could see him do it but Steve could only focus on the man, whose eyes were now caught in Steve’s.

“It was an accident, I swear. I was aiming for Natasha but she ducked.” 

Clint murmured “That’s my girl” and Natasha smirked at him. Steve still only had eyes for the man he had hit. 

“Are you okay?” Steve asked. “Did I hurt you?”

The man’s gaze was intense, making Steve feel hot even in the cold winter weather. He shook his head and a small smile grazed his lips.

“I’m fine. The only thing bruised is my pride.”

Clint scoffed, “Your pride has taken worse hits, Stark.”

Natasha lightly slapped her boyfriend in the back of his neck while looking at the man - _Stark?_ -, “I promise Steve is normally better at first impressions, Tony.”

Tony? Why did that name sound so familiar?

“Yeah, right.” Bucky gibed but Steve wasn’t paying attention. He was still trying to figure out where he had heard the man’s name before. Tony.

Oh, oh. _Tony._

The same _Tony_ that Natasha had been trying to set him up with for the past three months?

“Well, I sure hope so, Nat, or else I’m going to start thinking you’re trying to set me up with a savage snowball warrior.”

Definitely the same Tony that Natasha had been trying to set him up with for the past three months. 

If Steve had thought he was mortified before he had no words to explain his feelings in that moment.

Everyone was looking between him and Tony and they were not trying to be subtle about it. Clint had put his arm around Natasha’s shoulder and one of hers was wrapped around his waist. Bucky was smiling knowingly at Steve while Sam seemed to be studying Tony closely. 

Tony, for his part, had not stopped looking at Steve. His face had yet to completely dry from the melted snow and his nose was red from the cold, making him look soft and cuddly. Steve groaned in his head and chastised himself for being so cheesy. He had it bad already, damn it. 

“So,” Tony said after a couple of minutes in which no one did or said anything. “I could still use an introduction, Nat.”

Natasha rolled her eyes but smiled softly, “Tony, this is Steve. Steve, this is Tony.”

“You know we haven’t met him before either, right?” Bucky asked while pointing at himself and Sam.

“Yeah, but I’m not interested in going on a double date with either of you, so.” Natasha shrugged and Clint laughed. 

“She’s really excited about this, guys.” Clint commented while delicately hip checking his girlfriend, who didn’t look remorseful or ashamed. “She’s been planning it for months so you better not let her down.”

Steve thought that if Tony knew Natasha as well as he did he would definitely not want to let her down.

Tony looked at Natasha and she looked back at him. Both of them seemed to be having a conversation only through their eyes and a few eyebrow movements on Tony’s part. Whatever it was that they had both silently said made Tony face Steve again and walk purposefully in his direction. 

It only took Tony three steps to place himself in front of Steve. Now that they were so close Steve noticed that Tony was shorter than him, shorter enough that his face would fit perfectly in the crook of Steve’s neck if they were to hug. 

Tony extended his hand towards Steve. “Well Steve, seems like we’re going on a double date.”

Steve looked at Tony’s hand and then raised his eyes to Tony’s brown eyes again. “Seems that way."

Steve grabbed a hold Tony’s hand and shook it. More than anything in that moment Steve wished they both hadn’t been wearing gloves so he could feel Tony’s skin and warmth.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Tony said when the handshake ended. It had probably lasted a little too long to be considered casual. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Yeah, me too.” 

And it was true. Natasha had been talking about Tony for over a year now, having met him through her job, but it had been only three months before that she had started telling Steve that she thought they ought to go on a double date with her and Clint. 

Steve hadn’t been too eager about it, as he was never too eager about dating in general, but Natasha had only told him, “You’ll thank me when you meet him.” 

Steve thought he probably did owe her that thank you.

When Steve looked around he noticed that his friends had moved a couple of feet away, giving him and Tony a little bit of privacy. 

“So…” Steve started saying. “what were you and Clint doing here before I, you know….?”

“Before you smashed a gigantic snowball in my face?” Tony joked.

Steve laughed abashedly, “Yeah, before I did that.”

“Well, I had made plans for lunch with Clint and Natasha called him. When she found out we were together she decided today was the perfect day for the double date she’s been craving for for so long.”

Tony made a _ta-da_ noise and extended his hands as if presenting himself, “And now I’m here.”

Steve nodded at the explanation and nervously adjusted his hat. 

Tony was lightly bouncing on his feet and the subtle gesture denoted his own nerves too, which somehow relaxed Steve a little.  Maybe he wasn’t the only one feeling butterflies in his stomach.

“I want to apologize again.” Steve insisted. “I am so sorry about the hit and I hope it really didn’t hurt.”

Tony laughed softly and Steve noticed his eyes crinkled when he smiled. “It’s fine, really. It’s a classic meet-cute story, don’t you think?”

Steve bit his lip and slowly removed his glove from his right hand. He looked Tony in the eye and saw Tony lightly frown in confusion. Swallowing and fighting down his nerves, Steve reached for Tony’s face, running his thumb through Tony’s slightly damp cheek, reddened by the force of the snowball impact. Tony’s frown softened and he closed his eyes for a second, his long lashes delicate over the top of his cheeks. 

“I would have hated to really hurt such a lovely face.” Never let it be said that Steve didn’t try his hardest even when he knew he was not good at things (and he knew he was really not good at flirting).

Tony opened his eyes and laughed at the comment but his laugh didn’t make Steve feel uncomfortable. Tony’s laugh was kind and sweet, not mocking, and Steve laughed too. 

“Hey, lovebirds!” Clint shouted to them, startling them both and pulling them out of their little bubble. Tony and Steve turn around at the same time to face the group again. “Sam and Bucky are going to leave now and you two, Nat and I are going to that Italian restaurant that I love so much, Nino’s. Is that okay with you?”

Tony and Steve looked at each other, searching for answers in the other’s eyes. After only a couple of seconds Tony turned back to the group to answer Clint, a small smile showing on his lips. 

“Sounds perfect to me.”

 Steve bit his lips and through his own smile also answered, “Yeah, to me too.”

“Great!” Clint yelled excitedly. 

It was cold outside as Bucky and Sam said their goodbyes and left the rest of the group to head home. It was cold outside as Natasha, Clint, Steve and Tony started making their way towards Nino´s, chatting and joking with each other. A little bit of snow was still falling from the sky, just enough of it to keep the mood sweet and delicate. 

It was cold outside and Steve looked at Tony, who looked back at him when he felt watched. Steve blushed at being caught staring but he didn’t pull his gaze away.

“So, Steve,” Tony pronounced his name rolling the vowels of it, which Steve found very endearing. “Tell me about yourself. I want to know you from more than just Natasha’s comments.”

Clint and Natasha were now walking a few steps ahead of them, holding hands and laughing at some story Clint seemed to be telling. Steve tried to subtly slow down his pace even more so he could really get a few minutes of Tony all to himself.

“Okay.”

It was cold outside. Really, really cold. A true winter day in Brooklyn. But Steve had his gloves, his hat, his coat and Tony with him. He started talking and wondered if Tony would be interested in enjoying the rest of the seasons with him.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if you liked it and leave a comment. I love comments. You can also find me on my [Tumblr](https://natpeggy.tumblr.com).


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